Why Are People Switching to Organic Cold-pressedOils? Is It Really Healthier or Just a Trend?

The Truth About What's Actually in Your Bottle 

Here's something that might have happened to the best of us - standing in a grocery store aisle, staring at dozens of oil bottles!! There is the cheap refined groundnut oil  that we grew up with, sitting right next to bottles labeled ‘cold-pressed’, or ‘wood-pressed’, or ‘kachi ghani’ or ‘virgin-something’ - all priced differently, all claiming to be better. Standing there thinking: “What's actually the difference? Is this expensive cold-pressed oil worth three times the price, or is it just clever marketing?”

We spent weeks researching this because we genuinely wanted to know. And if we realise what’s discovered in reality it would completely change how we cook and more importantly, what we buy for our family.

The short answer? There's a massive difference. But it's not always where you'd expect it to be. Let us explain what's actually happening when you choose one oil over another.

What Happens During Oil Extraction: The Traditional Way vs. The Industrial Way

Most people assume all oil extraction is the same. You squeeze seeds or nuts, oil comes out, right? Not even close.

Let's start with how oil has been made in India for thousands of years. The traditional method which is what we call the kachi ghani method is beautifully simple. For example, fresh groundnuts from certified organic farms are lightly roasted to activate their flavors, then slowly pressed using a wooden press rotating at only 10-12 RPM. That's incredibly slow. The entire process generates minimal heat, usually staying around room temperature. The oil is never exposed to harsh chemicals or extreme temperatures. The result? An oil that looks rich and golden, smells distinctly nutty, and contains virtually every nutrient out there - vitamin E, antioxidants, fatty acids, phytosterols.

Now compare that to industrial refined oils. In a modern oil factory, after the seeds are crushed, they're mixed with hexane, a petroleum-derived solvent that was developed to extract the maximum amount of oil as cheaply as possible. Hexane is incredibly efficient. It pulls almost 99% of the oil out, which is why industrial facilities use it.

But here's the issue: hexane is classified as a neurotoxic substance by the EPA. Studies on occupational exposure show that long-term inhalation causes nerve damage, numbness, muscle weakness, blurred vision, and fatigue. While the oil companies are supposed to remove it during refining, residual hexane remains in the final product.

Then the refined oil undergoes extreme heat processing (sometimes reaching 460°F), bleaching with acid, deodorization, and treatment with various chemicals to remove color and smell. The result is a neutral-tasting, shelf-stable oil, but at what cost? During this process, the oil loses up to 80% of its antioxidants, most of its vitamins, and its natural fatty acid structure gets altered. What you're left with is basically empty calories, a fat with minimal nutritional value.

But here's where it gets really interesting: refined oils also develop something called trans fats during the deodorization process. Even though they're listed as "0% trans fats" on the label (because they're below the threshold for declaration), they're still there, and they're still harmful.

Here's What's Actually Different: The Nutrients That Survived

So what exactly are you getting when you buy cold-pressed oil versus refined oil?

Cold-pressed oils retain their vitamins. Specifically, vitamin E, an incredibly important antioxidant that protects your body from free radicals and chronic disease. Refined oils have lost most of this. Organic groundnut oil is packed with vitamin E, while refined versions have a fraction of that.

Cold-pressed oils maintain their natural fatty acid profile. Groundnut oil is exceptionally high in monounsaturated fats (MUFA) and contains polyunsaturated fats (PUFA). These ‘good fats’ have been extensively studied and proven to lower bad cholesterol (LDL), raise good cholesterol (HDL), and reduce heart disease risk by as much as 30%.

Cold-pressed coconut oil retains its MCTs. Medium-chain triglycerides are special fatty acids that your body metabolizes differently from long-chain fats. Instead of being stored as fat, MCTs are converted directly to energy or ketones by your liver. For people trying to lose weight, support brain health, or follow a ketogenic diet, this matters enormously.

Wood-pressed oils have antioxidants and phytosterols. These are plant compounds that fight inflammation, support immunity, and protect against chronic disease. Research shows that cold-pressed oils are preferred over refined oils specifically because they retain higher levels of bioactive compounds like carotenoids, sterols, and phenolics.

The Heart Health Controversy: What Science Actually Says

Now, you've probably heard conflicting information about whether groundnut oil and coconut oil are good for your heart. This is where things get nuanced.

Let's start with groundnut oil because it's actually pretty straightforward. Cold-pressed groundnut oil is genuinely heart-healthy. It's high in monounsaturated fats, the same type in olive oil, which have been proven to reduce LDL cholesterol and triglycerides while maintaining HDL cholesterol. Plus, it contains zero cholesterol naturally.

Coconut oil is where the confusion happens. You hear people claiming it's either a superfood or pure poison, and the reality is more complicated. Coconut oil (the cold-pressed kind) does contain MCTs and lauric acid, which have some genuine health benefits. Research shows it increases HDL cholesterol (the good kind) in some studies. However, and this is important, it also increases LDL cholesterol (the bad kind) and total cholesterol.

Some warn against using coconut oil specifically for heart health because while HDL increases, the LDL increase is more significant. So for someone concerned about heart health, coconut oil is better used in moderation rather than as a primary cooking oil.

All of this research is about either virgin or regular cold-pressed coconut oil. Refined coconut oil, with its nutrients stripped and its processing damage, is even worse for your cardiovascular system because you're getting none of the benefits and all of the inflammatory properties.

It's About What Your Body Can Actually Use

Here's the fundamental difference that most people don't understand: your body can use nutrients. When you consume cold-pressed groundnut oil with its vitamin E, fatty acids, and phytosterols intact, your body recognizes these compounds and uses them. The vitamin E protects your cells from free radicals. The monounsaturated fats support heart health. The phytosterols help maintain cholesterol levels.

When you consume refined oil that's been stripped, bleached, deodorized, and had its structure altered, your body treats it as just fat, calories with no nutritional value, and often with inflammatory properties.It's the difference between eating food and eating calories.

Why Do Cold-Pressed Oils Cost More?

When you look at the price difference between a bottle of refined oil and organic cold-pressedoil, it can be shocking. Let me walk you through exactly why.

First, yield is much lower. Wood pressed production creates about 3-4 liters of oil per 20 kg of groundnuts. At Rajamudi , we use about 2.5 kgs of fresh groundnuts to get 1 liter of cold-pressed goodness. Industrial hexane extraction produces nearly double that. So you need more raw material to produce the same amount of finished oil.

Second, it's labor-intensive. The traditional process is slow-pressing at 10-12 RPM compared to industrial machines running at hundreds of RPM. A single batch takes hours.

Third, there's no waste utilization advantage. Industrial facilities extract every drop using chemicals, then sell the leftover seed cake for animal feed or other uses. Traditional methods focus on creating one perfect product, the oil, rather than maximizing every possible by-product.

Fourth, there are strict quality standards. Every batch of groundnuts or coconuts is hand-selected and cleaned. No fillers, additives, or preservatives are used.

But here's why the premium is worth it: you're actually getting nutrition. You're not paying more for marketing, you're paying for an oil that does something useful for your body.

Groundnut Oil vs. Coconut Oil: Which Is Better for Your Kitchen?

When deciding which oil to stock in your kitchen, it helps to understand what each one does best.

For everyday Indian cooking, groundnut oil wins. It has a higher smoke point (around 450°F), making it perfect for tadka, frying, sautéing, and roasting. It has a flavor profile that works in virtually any dish without overpowering other flavors. And nutritionally, it's superior for heart health because of its monounsaturated fat content.

For specific applications, coconut oil has a place. If you're making traditional sweets, want the coconut flavor in specific dishes, or are looking for MCTs for brain health or ketogenic diets, coconut oil is valuable. Use it in moderation and be aware that it's not an ideal oil for high-heat cooking every day.

Neither refined version should be in your kitchen whether it's refined groundnut oil or refined coconut oil . They've lost their nutritional value and gained processing damage. The choice becomes simple: you can buy oils that have been industrially processed, stripped of nutrients, and possibly contaminated with chemical residues, or you can choose organic cold-pressed oils that retain everything nature created and add nothing artificial.

Why Traditional Methods Matter Now More Than Ever

Growing up, we didn't have options. Our grandmothers bought wood pressed groundnut oil from local mills because that's what existed. They didn't choose tradition, tradition was their only choice. And their bodies responded well to it. They cooked better-tasting food. Their digestion was healthier. They weren't consuming trace amounts of hexane or trans fats or oxidative damage.

We've spent decades drifting away from this because industrial oils were cheaper and more convenient. But now, as we understand what those chemical shortcuts actually cost us, in terms of our health, in terms of inflammation, in terms of chronic disease, people are coming back to return to real food, not as a trend.

When you choose to cook with organic groundnut oil or coconut oil made using traditional methods, you're choosing to nourish your family instead of just filling their stomachs. You're choosing flavor that matters. You're choosing health that lasts.

Is cold-pressed oil more expensive? Yes. Is it worth it? Absolutely. You're literally investing in nutrition versus just buying calories. The real question isn't whether you should switch to cold-pressed oils. The real question is: why would you want anything else?

At Rajamudi Organics, we've chosen to do this the way it's been done for thousands of years. Our kachi ghani groundnut oil and organic coconut oil come from our certified organic farms, pressed slowly using traditional wooden methods, with no chemicals and no industrial shortcuts. We started this because we believe that authentic organic food should actually nourish you. Every bottle we make represents that commitment to your health, to traditional methods, and to real food.

When you choose cold-pressed oils made with care, you're not just buying a product. You're joining a movement toward real nutrition, traditional knowledge, and genuine wellness. You're saying that your family's health matters more than convenience, and that heritage methods deserve to survive and thrive.